This is what I bring to go camping with my 60 lb dog, Chloe. Open to getting roasted (or not!) on what I should swap in/out. Would love any food ideas, tips & hacks too. Photos of your pup in action would be 😍

- Ruffwear Front Range Day Pack: Great! even tho it's smaller than the Ruffwear multiday packs, it works for a 3-4 day weekend trip. I think their Approach and Palisades ones might distribute the weight better given it's designed to carry more stuff, but Chloe didn't even seem to notice this was on her. It carries all her food, first aid, poop bags, bowl, toy and night light (not the sleeping bag). I also really like that there's this small fabric loop that attaches a nightlight which works perfectly for the lights I use (see below).

- GeerDuo Dog Sleeping Bag (Amazon brand): Cheap but wouldn't recommend; too heavy and bulky and NOT water resistant, more like water absorbent. It smelled so bad on one of our rainy trips. But it was as expected for a $25 Amazon purchase. It's also not that warm which can be an issue for many dogs. Chloe prefers cold weather, so she always ends up sleeping on top of her bag even if it's 5 deg C / 41 deg F...🤷🏻‍♀️. I'm looking to upgrade it this year so open to your recommendations :)

- Leyic Bike Lights (Amazon): Great! These were my old rechargeable bike lights. The battery life on one charge lasts several multi-day trips without recharging! And water resistance is pretty good, She wears the red one regularly on local night walks in rain and snow without issue.

- Ruffwear Crag leash: Meh - I wouldn't recommend this one for camping nor regular use, the metal slider for adjusting length fully extends easily if she pulls even slightly hard

- Sawyer squeeze water filter: this is obvi for myself. She likes to waterfall from my hydration pack drinking tube during the hike. When we arrive at the site, I just squeeze water into her bowl

- OHMO Collapsible Large Dog Bowl (Amazon brand): Great! Pretty sturdy, and it doesn't collapse if she's going at her food 😅

- Level Six Rover Floater PFD (Medium): Does the job. I bring this on canoe trips and forego her pack, so I would carry the stuff that's normally in her pack. She would pretty much wear the PFD most of the day until we get to the site (so I don't have to carry it). I wouldn't recommend this PFD for a lean dog. Even though it's the right size, it has a lot of extra material around her ribs and fits her like a tube rather than hugging her body. It's slightly annoying for her because it limits her mobility while swimming & playtime. I think it would be great for a broader shaped dog, or one with lots of long, dense fur that needs the extra space. Would definitely recommend checking out the Ruffwear PFD which has a curvier design to hug the body and is thinner throughout so it maximizes mobility. I also super recommend trying on the stuff with your dog at a MEC if you're looking for a new PFD

- Food: I always specifically get freeze dried, rehydratable food because it's much lighter than regular kibble. Since it should be rehydrated before eating, the added water helps her stay hydrated too. K9 Natural was just brand I kept getting free samples of at the pet store, but you can go with any dry food. This summer, i will try to cook at least one meal for her each trip.

- poop bags: In Ontario, there are bear-proof wooden toilet boxes for humans in backcountry sites, so I usually pick up her poop with a big leaf and dump it in there

- One float toy of some sort: anything light and small enough to fit in her pack- Gauze: I put a roll in her pack in case anything happens and I'm not there.

Pic of Chloe in Tobermory and all her gear

in BackpackingDogsby Conscious-Cattle6088

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2mo

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davismat91

2mo

My only input is on the harness. I carry all of my dogs gear and she wears her standard harness, that way it is always on and not as large. But mine is a track star so if she’s not leashed she is gone

Conscious-Cattle6088

2mo

Thank you for this! Harness is definitely a requirement for dogs who are free solo adventurers!!! 🙃 For Chloe, the ruffwear pack acts as a harness, it has a clip on the front and back for leashes. We clip her to pass large groups or if we see other dogs coming. But she usually leads our group and recalls immediately so we don’t clip her in unless we need to. I know this is controversial though .. don’t hate me 😬

davismat91

2mo

It’s only controversial to me if you don’t actually have recall. Dogs that don’t respect other dogs boundaries are an issue to me and I’m always worried about bear or poisonous snakes.

We use ruffwear exclusively and mine is decked out in all the gear but to let her sleep in tent I keep the harness on so if an issue arises we can leash and go but to me the pack ones probably aren’t the most comfortable to wear for multiple days in a row never taking it off. That being said highly recommend ruffwear and I got mine the furnace puffy jacket for cold nights with a foam accordion sleeping pad cut to size.

Conscious-Cattle6088

2mo

Would you recommend on leash at all times? I’m still trying to balance out offleash.. and the fear of bears and other wildlife. She does have her day-to-day collar on for the entire trip for fast clipping incase her pack isn’t on. At the site and in the tent the pack comes off though

davismat91

2mo

I would recommend, it would be awesome to let your pup be free and roam a bit but the math I do is the following:

How good is their recall command if a rabbit/skunk/racoon/deer runs through camp or while on trail?
How good is their recall if a prey animal comes through. We live in western central VA so bear and snakes in abundance. Most negative interactions with bear and humans in the woods occur with a dog in the mix.

We have been hiking tons of miles for 9 years together now and have had 1 ish Bear interactions each year. With the leash on I can guarantee she will never run at one, her behavior when they see them is calm and looks directly to me because she knows I’m about to tell her what to. I do a leash at all times and any future dogs because know for a fact I can physically take control of her instantaneous if we cross paths with a creature.

I would be heartbroken if something happen to her.

In camp I use a Eno hammock strap around a tree and then clip her leash to it with the carabiner that’s always on her leash. If I’m on trail and need to use both hands I can loop her leash around a tree and know she’s secure.